Visored
__NOWYSIWYG__ | image = | name =Visored | kanji = 仮面の軍勢 (ヴァイザード) | romanji = Vaizādo | primary power =Hollow Mask, Zanpakutō | notable members ='Clockwise from the top center are:' Shinji Hirako, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, Mashiro Kuna, Love Aikawa, Hiyori Sarugaki, Lisa Yadōmaru, Hachigen Ushōda, and Kensei Muguruma. center: Ichigo Kurosaki. }} The pronounced in English as "VIGH-zurhd". Originally thought to be translated as , is a group of Shinigami that have acquired Hollow powers. Following the battle at the Fake Karakura Town, they have become central combatants against Sōsuke Aizen's Espada. Overview The Visored are the antithesis to the Arrancar as Shinigami who have obtained Hollow powers.Bleach manga; Chapter 188, page 9 Having begun as Shinigami, the Visored appear entirely Human and bar those times where they are using their powers are indistinguishable from ordinary Shinigami. To gain access to their Hollow powers, a Visored dons a Hollow mask. This allows them to augment their Shinigami abilities with Hollow powers, as well as giving them access to some of the more generic Hollow abilities. Their spiritual pressure likewise changes into a mix of Hollow and Shinigami. This process of donning one's Hollow mask is referred to as Hollowfication.Bleach manga; Chapter 253, page 4 Visored have been shown to be former captain and lieutenant Shinigami. They are considered criminals by the Soul Society for committing the ultimate taboo of acquiring Hollow powers; their status as former leaders of Soul Society also marks them as traitors.Bleach manga; Chapter 188, page 9 During their introduction, they are viewed as reclusive and are thought to be only having loyalty to themselves, for it was unknown what role they would take in the upcoming battle at the fake Karakura Town. However, they are still considered to be valuable allies in the war against Sōsuke Aizen's army of Arrancar, according to Kisuke Urahara.Bleach manga; Chapter 188, pages 13-15 The Visored haven't shown any sort of hierarchy, preferring a loose-knit organization. Their intentions are finally revealed when they arrive at the Battle of the Fake Karakura Town. Even after the events that made them outlaws by Soul Society 100 years ago, the Visored bear no ill will toward the Gotei 13, but they prefer not to consider themselves allies of the former organization they belonged to either. Instead, they expressively confirm themselves enemies of Aizen, and by extension, the Espada, and state that they are allies of Ichigo Kurosaki.Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 10-13 History Turn Back the Pendulum arc Around 100 years before the current storyline, people in Soul Society started to disappear, but more than simple death, there were no bodies found; only the victims' clothes remained.Bleach manga; Chapter -104, pages 1-2 The situation caused a great uproar in the Gotei 13 as investigative groups were sent out and not heard from again. Due to this, the 9th Division's command structure took it upon themselves to investigate the situation: Kensei Muguruma, then-captain of the Ninth Division, Mashiro Kuna, his then-lieutenant, and their subordinates (comprising the 3rd to 6th Seats).Bleach manga; Chapter -104, pages 9-19 They were all mysteriously cut down by a then-unknown assailant that succeeded in taking them all by surprise using some unknown method. Bleach manga; Chapter -103, pages 16-19When their Reiatsu disappeared in a manner similar to the previous disappearances, the Gotei 13 became worried and sent out a new investigation team personally hand picked by Captain-Commander Yamamoto to see what had happened. Captains Shinji Hirako of the 5th Division, Love Aikawa of the 7th Division and Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi of the 3rd Division, along with the Kidō Corps' lieutenant Hachigen Ushōda and Kyōraku's lieutenant Lisa Yadōmaru, all set out to find the missing Shinigami.Bleach manga; Chapter -102, pages 2-13 Urahara's lieutenant, Hiyori Sarugaki was already on her way to collect samples of the disappearance site per Urahara's request. Bleach manga; Chapter -103, page 12 When the group finally arrived they found Hiyori and then themselves under attack by a Hollowfied Kensei and Mashiro.Bleach manga; Chapter -102, pages 18-19 Even while working as a team they were overpowered by the brutal attacks from the former fellow Shinigami. When Hachi arrived, he bound Mashiro and Kensei using Kidō.Bleach manga; Chapter -101, pages 3-16 Hiyori, now being held by Shinji, begins to succumb to the Hollowfication process and attacks Shinji without warning.Bleach manga; Chapter -100, pages 11-12 The others were then surrounded by a pitch black darkness that also rendered them unable to sense each other, where they were systematically cut down. After the darkness is lifted Shinji is the only one still conscious to see that it was all Kaname Tōsen, Kensei's 6th Seat, using his Bankai against them.Bleach manga; Chapter -100, pages 14-16 Shinji tried to question Tōsen about the betrayal of his captain while he and the others were going through various stages of Hollowfication. Aizen, Shinji's lieutenant, then shows up with Gin Ichimaru, Shinji's 3rd Seat in tow, explaining that he was following his orders.Bleach manga; Chapter -100, pages 16-19 Aizen begins to explain how he was behind it all and that he had been manipulating Shinji from the start using his Zanpakutō's special ability.Bleach manga; Chapter -99, pages 5-12 He then gave Tōsen permission to get rid of Hiyori, whom he attacked. Shinji, who refused to go down without a fight, engaged in combat with Tōsen. He initially gained the upper hand due to the increase in his power, but eventually succumbed more to the Hollowfication process. Aizen prepared to attack him, but was stopped by the timely arrival of the cloaked 12th Division Captain Kisuke Urahara and Kidō Captain Tessai Tsukabishi.Bleach manga; Chapter -102, pages 16-20 Plot In order to regain his Shinigami powers after being stripped of them, Ichigo Kurosaki has his Chain of Fate severed by Tessai Tsukabishi under orders from Kisuke Urahara in order to force him to regain his lost power before becoming a Hollow.Bleach manga; Chapter 60, page 18''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 61, pages 13-14 Ichigo is only able to succeed once he begins transforming into a Hollow. Ichigo's transformation happens out of sequence, his mask forming first instead of his body breaking apart and reforming, a sign of his resistance to becoming a Hollow, and he emerges as a Shinigami wearing a Hollow's mask, which he breaks off.Bleach manga; Chapter 64, pages 11-16 After he arrived in Soul Society, the Hollow mask reappears on his person on several occasions, even though he repeatedly discarded it, to block mortal and fatal blows.Bleach manga; Chapter 100, page 4''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 116, page 17 In his fight against Byakuya Kuchiki, Ichigo's inner Hollow took some control of his body, causing his mask to reform around his face. Ichigo is able to regain control and tear off the mask before the transformation completes.Bleach manga; Chapter 166, pages 1-12 Arrancar arc Ichigo later discovers that there are other Shinigami who have acquired Hollow powers besides himself. Shinji Hirako, a "boy" carrying a Zanpakutō and a Hollow mask, reveals that these renegade Shinigami call themselves the Visored.Bleach manga; Chapter 185, page 10 Shinji tries to convince Ichigo to join their group, saying that only he can teach Ichigo how to control his Hollow form and keep it from taking over and destroying everything Ichigo cares about.Bleach manga; Chapter 189, pages 6 - 11 Ichigo initially refuses Shinji's offer, but relents after realizing he can't control his inner Hollow on his own. Ichigo insists that he's merely using them to learn how to control his inner Hollow.Bleach manga; Chapters 214-215 To accomplish this task, Shinji knocks Ichigo unconscious so he can face his inner Hollow on common ground. As this happens, Ichigo's body transforms into an uncontrollable Hollow form, which the Visored take turns fighting in order to keep it in check. Ichigo eventually manages to overcome and subdue his inner Hollow (in 62 minutes and 30 seconds)Bleach manga; Chapters 217-222 , and begins training with the Visored to have better control over his new powers. Ichigo abandons his training when the town is threatened, despite having little control over his new powers compared to the more experienced Visored.Bleach manga; Chapters 224-230 It is later shown that the Visored are preparing for battle with unknown intentions.Bleach manga; Chapter -97, page 19 Fake Karakura Town arc When the Shinigami begin to lose their respective battles and the Arrancar begin to mount a comeback that culminates in Aizen's escape, the Visored appear on the battlefield. Shinji briefly greets Aizen in a mocking manner, and then asks his fellow Visored if there is anyone in the Gotei 13 they would like to speak to. He ends up in a short argument with Hiyori, followed by the others expressing their disinterest in speaking to their former comrades, with the exception of Lisa, who flash steps away.Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 2-5 Shinji then approaches Yamamoto to greet him, to which the commander asks if he has come for revenge. Shinji plainly tells him against Aizen, yes, but that he holds no such ambitions against the Gotei 13. Yamamoto asks Shinji if he is right to assume they are then allies, to which Shinji replies that they aren't. However, he clarifies that although they are not on the Gotei 13's side, they are against Aizen and are allies of Ichigo.Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 9-12 He then returns to the other Visored, who bring forth their masks when Fūrā spews forth a huge amount of Gillian class Menos from its mouth.Bleach manga; Chapter 365, pages 16-17 They then attack the Gillian, showing off each of their powers. Shinji, however, confronts Aizen and tells him it is time to finish this off.Bleach manga; Chapter 366. Before his attack can reach, Kaname Tōsen slashes at Shinji before the latter starts fighting Gin Ichimaru. Mashiro is defeated by Wonderweiss MargelaBleach manga; Chapter 376, pages 1-3, who then battles Kensei''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 377, pages 2-5, only to later leave the fight to attack Yamamoto, leaving Kensei's fate unknown. Hachi sacrifices one of his arms to defeat Baraggan and cannot use his powers to his fullest''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 370, pages 14-16, and Hiyori is bifurcated by Gin after being enraged by one of Aizen's taunts''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 377, pages 10-12. Later, after Ichigo's return from Hueco Mundo, Shinji, Rose, Love and Lisa engage Aizen to protect Ichigo from his Shikai.Bleach manga; Chapter 389, page 10 Aizen effortlessly cuts down Rose, Love and Lisa.Bleach manga; Chapter 391, pages 1-6 Shinji, along with Shunsui Kyōraku, Suì-Fēng, and Tōshirō Hitsugaya, mistakenly think that they have finally killed Aizen''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 392, pages 3-9, but it turns out to be an illusion that tricked them into stabbing Momo HinamoriBleach manga; Chapter 392, pages 11. When Shinji and the others try to stop an enraged Hitsugaya from charging at Aizen, the latter tells them that they're all wide open and defeats all of them with one slash each, sending Shinji and his comrades falling into the town.Bleach manga; Chapter 392, pages 17-20 With that, the only Visored still able to fight is Ichigo. The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc At some point after Aizen's defeat, Shinji, Rose, and Kensei rejoin the Gotei 13 by resuming their former positions.Bleach manga; Chapter 479 The rest of the Visored, namely Hiyori, Lisa and Love, seems to have stayed in Karakura Town.Bleach manga; Chapter 481, page 1 Known Visored There are eight known Visored aside from Ichigo Kurosaki. Five of them are men and the other three are women. Three Visored speak kansai-ben, a dialect spoken in Osaka and Kyoto. All Visored are former Shinigami Captains or Lieutenants from approximately 100 years before the main storyline. Ichigo Kurosaki is considered one of their number unofficially more or less by the group's admission. († = confirmed death) Powers & Abilities Hollow Mask: The Visored remain in complete control while wearing their masks (unlike Ichigo's early unstable transformations). According to Aizen, the fusion of the two spiritual entities allows these Shinigami to reach power levels far surpassing that of either a Hollow or a Shinigami.Bleach manga; Chapter 175, pages 9-11 The Visored use their Hollow powers to augment their existing Shinigami abilities, granting them massive increases in speed, stamina, and strength. The only known side effect in donning their Hollow masks is the specific time limit, which varies from user to user. Fortunately, there is a remedy to this problem: Training (but to what extent is currently unknown); Most of the Visored appear to have a limit of three minutes after a century of training,Bleach manga; Chapter 367, page 13 while Ichigo has expanded his limit from 11 seconds to several minutes in a relatively short period of time, so the factors influencing the limits of the masks are still unclear. Every time their masks are used, the Visored's voices echo as a consequence of both their normal voice and their inner Hollow's voice speaking simultaneously.Bleach anime; Episode 279 *'Enhanced Speed': Visored gain a great boost in their speed while Hollowfied. Kensei is able to throw a rapid amount of punches against a Gillian.Bleach manga; Chapter 366, page 5 *'Enhanced Strength': The Visored have shown great strength while using their masks. Love was able to rip a Gillian class Menos in half with his bare hands after the Visored first arrived in the Fake Karakura Town''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 366, page 16 *'Cero': Visored gain access to certain Hollow abilities, such as the Cero blast; However, only Shinji''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 236, page 11, Hiyori''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 366, page 6 and Mashiro''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 376, page 14 have been seen using it. *'Power Augmentation': With the acquisition of the mask through the subjugation of one's inner Hollow, Visored gain access to an additional and separate source of power - aside from the Shinigami powers they already possess - Hollow powers. The accumulation of both powers greatly augments their powers beyond what a Shinigami and/or Hollow alone would be capable of.Bleach manga; Chapter 175, pages 9-11 *'Mask Protection': Body damage can seemingly be ignored while wearing their masks, as demonstrated by Ichigo's Hollow during his unwilling transformations.Bleach manga; Chapter 166, pages 5-9 *'Reiryoku Enhancement': Visored have dual spiritual power of both Shinigami and Hollow, which enhances their abilities. While watching Ichigo fight with Grimmjow, Tier Harribel noted that the volume and nature of Ichigo's spiritual power made it seem like she was watching a fight between two Espada.Bleach manga; Chapter 282, pages 4-5 Additionally, Ulquiorra Cifer commented that his reiatsu was almost exact as Espada's.Bleach manga; Chapter 270, page 24 The Visored's Zanpakutō function in the same manner as those of standard Shinigami. So far, only Mashiro and Hachigen have yet to release their Zanpakutō. Trivia *Although Ichigo dons his mask by "ripping" it from his face, other Visored appear to have different ways of summoning their Hollow mask (i.e. Hiyori musters it with mere thought''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 215, page 17, Hachi "slides" it on with one or both hands''Bleach'' manga; Chapter 370, page 9). *Most Visored tend to remove their masks to buy time for re-usage.Bleach manga; Chapter 376, page 9 References Navigation Category:Races Category:Visored Category:World of Bleach Category:Important Terms Category:Organizations